Tessera

Billionaire Leon Black bankrolled Epstein's trafficking operation — now he's dodging Congress. In this week's Below The Belt(way), @camaron.bsky.social breaks down the contempt charges coming his way. bit.ly/4gOSlAS

Congress plans contempt charges for Epstein bankroller Leon Black

Black refused to refused to provide Congress with NDAs between himself and women, allegedly brokered by Epstein in order to silence victims and protect his co-conspirators.

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In this week's FWIW, Nina Hachigian of ALLIES breaks down how mayors are mastering authentic communication — while national leaders still struggle to sound believable. bit.ly/4ylnJhx

The Mayors’ Guide to Communications

Also inside: midterm Senate investments on the rise

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In this week's American Freakshow, @ninaburleigh.bsky.social and Katie Chenoweth unmask the men DOJ redacted from the Epstein files — from Steve Bannon to the Saudi crown prince — despite claiming no one was protected. bit.ly/4yhZYHn

Unmasking the Redacts

A Rogue’s Gallery of Concealed Men

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NEW POLL: Republicans and Democrats may disagree on a lot, but releasing the Epstein files isn’t one of them. A COURIER/ Reckoning Action poll found 88% of likely midterm voters—including 83% of Republicans—want candidates who will hold powerful people accountable. bit.ly/4gNHbwm

Poll: Epstein Cover-up front of mind for voters going into Midterms

Justice for Epstein’s victims ranked higher among those surveyed than healthcare, affordability, and the Iran War.

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Another bank is paying millions to Epstein’s victims. Bank of America will pay $72.5M without admitting wrongdoing, becoming the third bank to settle. Plus, Ghislaine Maxwell lost another bid to overturn her conviction. Catch up in this week’s Cover-Up. bit.ly/4x5Hx7R

What you need to know about Bank of American’s settlement with Epstein victims

Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest appeal was also rejected

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When the U.S. takes control of another country’s oil, should journalists cover it like a savvy business deal? In this week's Stop the Presses, @markjacob.bsky.social says that’s exactly what too many news outlets are doing: sanitizing Trump’s “armed robbery” in Venezuela. bit.ly/4gxUlgM

Trump’s armed robbery in Venezuela draws values-free coverage

A “might is right” mentality consumes our government and infects the media

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Just 3% of voters are the classic "swing voter." The other 54% are scrolling for hours but skipping anything that looks political. In this week's FWIW, Danielle Butterfield and Priorities USA explain how Dems can reach them anyway. bit.ly/4d5EAwE

The new silent majority? Voters who don't seek out news.

Also inside: PAC spending in key battleground races

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DOJ claimed these notes were duplicative. Leaked copies say otherwise — new details, uncontacted witnesses, and no real excuse for keeping them hidden. @camaron.bsky.social on the leak DOJ didn't want out: bit.ly/3Ur6zR5

DOJ leaked withheld portion of Epstein Files to conservative media, doxxing victims

The DOJ has refused to release handwritten notes from FBI interviews—but last week, some of those notes were found online, uploaded by a conservative journalist who received them from a DOJ employee.

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In this week's Below the Belt(way), @camaron.bsky.social reports on how community pushback killed 22 of 23 Trump admin detention warehouse sites — including the largest, in Socorro, Texas. bit.ly/3SfIT1z

Only one warehouse remains from Trump admin’s mass detention camp plan

All but one of the 23 detention campsites abandoned or paused indefinitely as a result of swift, visceral opposition from local residents.

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Leon Black called Epstein "dear friend" — and kept cashing in on him for years. New correspondence reveals unexplained photos, NDAs, and a "second chance" Congress isn't buying. @ninaburleigh.bsky.social & Katie Chenoweth report for American Freakshow. bit.ly/4ccQzIv

The Billionaire and the Recruiters Part Three

A “Whitman Sampler” of Girls: New Jeffrey Epstein-Leon Black Correspondence

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Trump wants the media to "low-key" his Iran war. In this week's Stop the Presses, @markjacob.bsky.social breaks down why that's dangerous — 18 troops dead, $100B spent, and a $1.5T defense budget request bigger than WWII's peak. bit.ly/4xgGpir

Trump wants the media to ‘low-key’ the war. Let’s not.

The White House is using its military disaster to get more money for more disasters ahead

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Musk gutted Twitter's guardrails, Zuckerberg killed fact-checking and Meta just partnered with a conspiracy outlet to train its AI. Election Day hasn't even come. In FWIW, Denny Carter breaks down how a poisoned info environment could make the midterms chaos — and what we do about it. bit.ly/4irhPH2

What a poisoned media environment means for the midterms

Election denialism has been mainstreamed since 2020 in ways that are incompatible with democracy

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In this week's Below the Belt(way), @camaron.bsky.social traces Natalie Harp's full rise — from teenage Bush fangirl to riding in a car trunk for Trump — and asks why one aide has more access to him than most of his Cabinet. bit.ly/3SrZGyn

Timeline: Natalie Harp’s trajectory from inside the trunk to off the decoy plane

COURIER has compiled a comprehensive timeline of Harp’s rise, from teenage George W. Bush fangirl to one of the most influential people in the Oval Office.

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From Trump’s march toward authoritarianism and the right’s Natalie Harp obsession to Utah's expensive Meta problem, we covered a lot this week. Catch up on the stories you might have missed in this week's Round-Up. bit.ly/3SidGL4

COURIER covers Trump’s march toward dictatorship and the right’s obsession with Natalie Harp

Plus a Utah city’s Meta problem and a bipartisan fight over AI surveillance.

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In this week's American Freakshow, @ninaburleigh.bsky.social explains how one word — "Natalie" — sent the GOP spiraling into defensive outrage that says more about them than it does about Ossoff. bit.ly/4i0KmmT

The Body Horror of the Trump Years Part Two

Natalie Harp and the Political Uses Of Revulsion

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Trump is building a dictatorship in plain sight. So why are major news outlets still covering him like this is politics as usual? @markjacob.bsky.social social takes on the media’s failure to sound the alarm in this week’s Stop the Presses. bit.ly/4wClFR8

The media are missing the story of our lives: a looming dictatorship

News outlets’ downplaying of the danger is shameful journalism neglect

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A bill meant to fix NCAA chaos almost derailed over transgender athletes. GOP senators worried it would wipe out state bans on trans athletes in women's sports. The White House says it wouldn't, Michael Jones reports. The bill's now delayed until September. bit.ly/4648FsD

How Congress complicated its college sports fix

COURIER congressional correspondent Michael Jones examines why a major college sports bill backed by both parties stalled despite months of negotiations and support from powerful sports organizations.

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Rep. James Comer says he expects to send criminal referrals in the Epstein investigation to prosecutors by the end of the year — before Democrats could take over the probe in January. More in this week's Below the Beltway from @camaron.bsky.social. bit.ly/4qd2P1m

After year of depositions on Epstein, Comer promises criminal referrals by Christmas

Democrats have promised to take action if they take control in January, but Republican Rep. James Comer said he expects to send names to prosecutors by the end of the year.

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The Senate just confirmed Todd Blanche as Trump's next AG. In this week's American Freakshow, @ninaburleigh.bsky.social traces how the preacher's kid became Trump's "Boy Cohn" — and Chief Epstein Coverup Officer. bit.ly/4wpdmYV

Todd Blanche, Trump’s “Boy” Cohn

Meet the Chief Epstein Coverup Officer

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A new Senate report puts Wall Street under the microscope, while investigators in New Mexico say they’ve found credible evidence supporting abuse allegations at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch. Get the latest in this week's The Cover-Up. bit.ly/4wRDvjT

What You Need to Know About Senator Wyden’s Report

There were also major developments out of New Mexico

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Want to make your feed smarter—and a little more pro-democracy? Here are 25 people worth following right now, according to @markjacob.bsky.social. bit.ly/3TO1jqs

25 must-follow people in pro-democracy media

One way to fight negativity is to lift up inspirational voices

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Trump already seized ballots, demanded voter rolls and tried to rig the midterms. Election Day hasn't even come yet. In FWIW, Jiggy Geronimo breaks down why 2026 could make 2020 look like child's play, and what we do about it. bit.ly/3TZl26v

Preparing for election sabotage and enforcing our win

We have less than 3 months to make sure Trump’s midterm cheating fails

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Capital One flagged Trump's accounts for money laundering — then Todd Blanche gave him tax immunity so no one could investigate. In this week's Below the Beltway, @/Camaron.bsky.social breaks down how DOJ buried the paper trail. bit.ly/4pWPOc4

Trump's alleged money laundering protected under tax immunity scheme

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s ban on auditing Trump will also save the president from being required to pay back at least $100 million in back taxes.

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While the Tates finally face charges, Trumpworld's financial ties to them stay buried. In this week's American Freakshow, @ninaburleigh.bsky.social and Katie Chenoweth trace how Don Jr., Rumble and 1789 Capital turned Andrew Tate's rape propaganda into a business model. bit.ly/4wDOyNC

All Choked Up Part Two

Trumpworld Turned Rape Propaganda into a Business Model

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